That night, Wang Jingyuan sauntered into Yue Buqun's room. Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze were in the middle of a private conversation. When they saw Wang Jingyuan, they weren't annoyed at all; instead, they invited him to sit at the table.
What Yue Buqun was most grateful for now was that he had seized the opportunity Wang Jingyuan presented. In less than half a year since "joining" the Mount Hua Sect, Wang Jingyuan had already accomplished quite a few things for them.
His trip to Fuzhou City had been especially delightful for Yue Buqun. At first, Yue Buqun had focused on the Bixie Swordplay. Although he hadn't said so outright, everyone understood that sending people so far to obstruct the Qingcheng Sect's attempt to obtain it meant he had entertained some hope of picking up the scraps himself.
These days, who in the jianghu didn't know that the Fuwei Escort Agency had voluntarily handed the Bixie Swordplay over to the Mount Hua Sect as tuition? Though the swordplay had a serious drawback, it was still a fallback option.
Besides, ever since he'd realized Wang Jingyuan cared more about the Fuwei Escort Agency itself than the Bixie Swordplay, Yue Buqun had spent the past few days carefully reviewing the business plan Wang Jingyuan had written with his wife. Yue Buqun was, after all, a scholar, so he knew his basic arithmetic.
He hadn't realized how much there was to it until he ran the numbers—and then he was shocked. No wonder Wang Jingyuan had placed such importance on working with the Fuwei Escort Agency. If they followed the plan, the agency would enjoy unprecedented room to grow, and the Mount Hua Sect, as its largest shareholder, would have effectively acquired a hen that laid golden eggs.
In this day and age, a sect's martial strength was certainly important. But once money reached a certain scale, it too became a force to be reckoned with. So although Yue Buqun had initially been unsure whether to trust Wang Jingyuan, now he was genuinely grateful to him.
Now Yue Buqun asked Wang Jingyuan about his visit with a warm smile, while Ning Zhongze had already started peeling fruit for him.
Wang Jingyuan didn't beat around the bush. He went straight to the point. "When you visited Liu Zhengfeng today, did he say anything?"
Yue Buqun answered honestly. "Nothing unusual. We exchanged a few pleasantries, and then he invited us to stay for lunch. He forced himself to play host throughout the meal, but didn't say anything in particular."
Wang Jingyuan nodded. It seemed Old Liu really was a decent fellow, and he'd handled things without a hitch. Wang Jingyuan told him plainly, "Remember what I said before? The Songshan Sect will come to disrupt Liu Zhengfeng's Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony, hoping to suppress Hengshan and intimidate the other three peaks."
Yue Buqun nodded. "That's certainly true. In recent years, Songshan has made a habit of accusing its enemies of colluding with the Demonic Cult. But after you, Immortal Elder, ... if anyone tries to make an issue of the rumor that Liu Zhengfeng colluded with the Demonic Cult, they'll only make themselves a laughingstock."
Wang Jingyuan shook his head. "The Songshan Sect may have made baseless accusations in the past, but Liu Zhengfeng really did collude with Qu Yang."
Yue Buqun was shocked. "What?"
Wang Jingyuan continued, "I ran into Qu Yang when I entered Hengyang City. Xin Yi is Qu Yang's granddaughter."
Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze both exclaimed, "What?!"
"Don't worry. They really do want to leave the jianghu. There's no conspiracy. After the hand-washing ceremony, those two will be out of the jianghu.
"And even if there were some conspiracy, it wouldn't matter. My main goal in helping them is to thwart the Songshan Sect's plans and undermine its authority.
"After all, your mission was to 'revitalize Mount Hua.' I've thought about it for a long time, and the most obvious obstacle to that goal is the Songshan Sect. There's nothing wrong with striking a blow against them."
Yue Buqun was weighing Wang Jingyuan's words in his mind when someone suddenly knocked at the door. Wang Jingyuan glanced outside and saw Yue Lingshan's nameplate.
Yue Buqun recognized his daughter's footsteps, too, and called, "Come in."
"Father, you need to do something about Junior Brother Wang! Do you even know what he—" Yue Lingshan burst in, ready to complain to her father. Mount Hua already had one drunkard; they couldn't have a second great swordsman of the brothel-going sort. What would that make the sect? Besides, whenever she saw Wang Jingyuan visiting a brothel, an inexplicable irritation welled up inside her.
But halfway through her complaint, she saw her parents sitting with Wang Jingyuan. Her mother had just handed him a peeled pear.
Worried Yue Lingshan might say something to offend Wang Jingyuan, Yue Buqun cut her off before she could finish. "Jingyuan and I still have things to discuss. Go back to your room."
"But I..." Yue Lingshan felt a little aggrieved, but Yue Buqun interrupted her again. "That's enough. Go back."
Yue Lingshan's lips stuck out in a pout as she turned back every few steps. Seeing the three of them enjoying each other's company in the room, she couldn't help feeling heartsick. We're the ones who are supposed to be a family of three...
After Yue Lingshan had left, Wang Jingyuan continued, "Liu Zhengfeng made some preparations of his own. From what I know, he paid to buy an official post."
Yue Buqun nodded, stroking his beard. "That's certainly a good approach."
"He bought the post of assistant general."
Yue Buqun nodded again. "A military official, then."
Wang Jingyuan frowned and emphasized, "He bought the post of assistant general."
Seeing Wang Jingyuan bring it up repeatedly, Yue Buqun asked, "Is there something special about that?"
Wang Jingyuan slapped a hand to his face and said exasperatedly, "You're a scholar, for heaven's sake! Don't you know that an assistant general is a third-rank official? Even if he's still subordinate to the civil officials, it's a third-rank position with real power.
"The posts people buy are usually honorary or charitable appointments. Buying an actual position isn't impossible, but it takes a huge price. At most, you might buy a place as a tribute student at the Imperial College, or become a battalion commander on the frontier.
"A real third-rank position with power? Maybe in another hundred years. But if people could buy a real third-rank military post with money right now, the wealthy merchants would have taken over the Ming Dynasty long ago!"
"What?!" After Wang Jingyuan explained it, Yue Buqun realized there was something wrong with the situation.
Wang Jingyuan continued, "Buying an official post is only semi-secret. There's no need to hide it. Anyone who cares to investigate can find out that Liu Zhengfeng bought one.
"Yet even so, the Songshan Sect still dares to send people to watch the Liu residence. Either the channel Liu Zhengfeng used to buy the post is fake, and the Songshan Sect arranged it, or Liu Zhengfeng never bought a post at all. He's planning to hire a few people to put on a show during the Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony and fool you rough fellows. After all, of the Five Great Sword Sects, you're the most educated. If even you didn't notice anything amiss, fooling the rest would be even easier."
Yue Buqun frowned. "If the Songshan Sect hasn't let up, as you say, then Brother Liu's plan probably won't work."
"Not necessarily." Wang Jingyuan shook his head. "I asked Liu Zhengfeng for the money. It should arrive soon. Then I'll handle the matter and make it official. Even if someone discovers what's going on along the way, they'll only suspect that I'm helping you buy an official post.
"If the Songshan Sect is behind this, they'll be in serious trouble. Buying official posts is the court's business. If they dare to sell counterfeits, they're practically asking to die.
"And even if they aren't involved, once Liu Zhengfeng's official post becomes real, let's see them try to lay a finger on him. The Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony should be quite lively."
(P.S.)Good thing I checked. I just realized the scheduled post hadn't been set. If I hadn't noticed tonight, there would've been no update.
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